![Taipei Tourism. Taiwan] Learn to cook sturgeon luncheon and cuddle with duck-billed sturgeon at Thousand Legends Leisure Farm in New Taipei City.](https://jonathansin.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/47751613891_30effc6858_z-1.jpg)
One of the things I was really looking forward to on this little trip to Taiwan was getting up close and personal with the rare duck-billed sturgeon and cooking a sturgeon luncheon myself. Being a "Greedy Foodie" nowadays, it's not enough to just eat, you have to know how to cook! It's time to show you my cooking skills!
The Rural Housing Experience
After a 40-minute drive from the city, we finally arrived at the Chitose Legendary Eco-Farm. As we entered the cooking class, we saw our instructor of the day, the owner of the farm, Mrs Yip Fook Hwa, waiting for us, and the main attraction, the duck-billed sturgeon, was on the table.
There are three items on the menu: Sturgeon Marinated Rice, Sturgeon with Five Flavours and Collagen Milk. Before preparing each dish, Mrs Yip demonstrated it with her hands, and she also gave us a few pointers while we were cooking.
"sturgeon marinated rice."
This is not a traditional braised pork rice, but a mixture of pork and fresh sturgeon. Everything was going so well, but then I got distracted by my classmates and my carefully prepared marinated pork got burnt! It was really a "old cat's whiskers"!
"sturgeon with five flavours
The fish is marinated and cooked, then the cucumber, carrots and onions are shredded, garlic, cilantro and chilli are added, and the salad is finished off with a special five-flavour sauce made by the teacher. The five flavour sauce is a mixture of soy sauce paste, umeboshi vinegar, ketchup, sugar, and lemon juice, and the sturgeon's bone-rich, elastic flesh and sweet and sour five flavour sauce made it easy to make, but I thought it was very tasty.
"Collagen Milk
I think this is the most fun! Starting from groundnut flour, we kneaded the dough ourselves and rolled it into brown sugar pearls. We rolled the pearls into different sizes and they were so different from the ones made by the master! Some of them were so big that we couldn't even squeeze a straw into them, it was a crying shame!
The tea base is brewed with the sweet and aromatic Seven Leaf Ginseng Tea, to which is added smooth milk and a nutritious sturgeon collagen!
Teacher Yip was really thoughtful, she gave out her own braised pork to those students who had just failed to make it, and I was "rationed" some of it! She also treated us to the sturgeon and scallop XO sauce available in the shop, which was so salty and flavourful that it was a great accompaniment to the meal.
Cuddle with a sturgeon.
After we had our fill, it was time to get up close and personal with the sturgeon, which was handled by Mr Yip's husband, farm owner, Mr Dennis Lam. Mr Lam first took us to the farm to visit the sturgeon BBs and tell us about their growth story. It turns out that the sturgeon we ate just now have to be raised for at least 20 years before they are suitable for consumption, and I was heartbroken to hear that their fish were swept away by a typhoon a couple of years ago, resulting in heavy losses.
You can go into the water after putting on a waterproof jacket, commonly known as a "frog suit", but please don't do what I did and wear long-sleeved clothes and end up getting your sleeves soaked!
It's not easy to pick up a sturgeon like a puppy, but it's not easy to use force. Adult sturgeon are the size of a medium sized dog and are so strong that the force of their tails is no joke, making them worthy of the nickname "Emperor Fish". This is definitely an unforgettable experience and a must try.
If you are interested in joining this "Sturgeon Eco-Farm Tour and Art Class", you can also search for it on Klook.
https://www.klook.com/zh-TW/activity/20118-cooking-class-chinese-sturgeon-farm-taipei/
Address: No. 1543, Sanshia District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 237, R.O.C.
Opening Hours: Tue-Sun 10:00-19:00 (Closed on Mondays)
Tel: +886 2 2672 0748
Transport.
-Take Taipei Bus 807 from Sanshia Bus Terminal (Sanshia 1) to Xiongkong Station and get off at Xiongkong Station, the journey takes about 40 minutes.
-Drive your own car
Website.
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